Fighting games are a genre of action video game wherein player-controlled characters fight each other via specific button inputs. These games have traditionally shown fighters from a side-view and may represent the characters with either 2D or 3D graphics. However, this shouldn't be confused with the distinction between 2D and 3D fighting games. The 2D games play on a single plane of action and tend to emphasize height-based (high, medium, low) attacks and jumping. The 3D games utilize 360-degree movement and often emphasize sidestepping. Hundreds of 2D fighting game titles exist but a few series are generally considered to be the most high-profile.
Street Fighter
The "Street Fighter" series of fighting games is an extremely well-known franchise, originally developed in Japan. The game made its debut in the arcades in 1987. It was designed by Takashi Nishiyama and Hiroshi Matsumoto. The original "Street Fighter" starred the martial artist Ryu, competing in a worldwide martial arts tournament that spanned five countries and 10 opponents. Since then, the series had had total home sales of 29 million units, arcade cabinet sales of over 500,000 units; in total accounting for more than one billion dollars in revenue. The latest game in the series made the move to 3D graphics but kept the 2D playing style. It was very well received by both critics and fans.
The King of Fighters
The "King of Fighters" game series is developed by SNK. The "King of Fighters" tournament originated from SNK's previous fighting game franchises, "Fatal Fury" and "Art of Fighting," and continued in the "King of Fighters" franchise. The game played very similarly to Capcom's "Street Fighter" series, with a greater emphasis on story. In total, 16 installments of the game and its spin-offs have been released.
Marvel vs. Capcom
"Marvel vs. Capcom" is a series of fighting games by Capcom in which characters created by Marvel Comics and Capcom's own characters appear together. The game features a number of popular Marvel comics characters including Spider-man, Wolverine and The Hulk, alongside Capcom fighting game characters such as Ryu and Ken. In total, between the three games, 99 different characters have appeared from a wide range of Marvel and Capcom properties. The game continues to be popular, having recently released the very well-received third game, with a healthy competition scene.
BlazBlue
"BlazBlue" is a fighting game series by Arc System Works. Each of the game's characters has a weak, medium and strong attack. Also every character has a unique "drive" attack, which functions as that character's special move. The game is known for having a deep gameplay system (albeit a small character roster) and a high learning curve for online play.
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